Create lasting, positive change in America’s legal system ... one law student at a time

$600,000 Challenge Grant — Further the Impact!

How did we get here? How did we end up with a legal system that unilaterally imposed abortion on demand and same-sex marriage?

How has it been able to undermine your religious freedom?

Our country was founded on certain key principles: Judeo-Christian morality, Self-government, Freedom

How did we get so far from these tenets? All of this didn’t happen overnight, and this trend didn’t start in a courtroom.

It started in the classroom.

The threats against Judeo-Christian morality expanded with the invention of social Darwinism. It wrongly theorized that man came from nothing and that there were no absolutes. But if that’s the case, then what’s right and wrong can only come from society, and morality can easily be changed.

Self-government was attacked in elitist institutions by an appeal to intellectual pride. The legal system became the perfect venue for the intellectual class to rule the rest of the nation that they believed wasn’t “smart enough” to vote in the progressive policies they desired.

Those who reject God’s morality … and are willing to impose rule by the elitists … will never be faithful advocates for freedom. The Founders boldly stated the truth in the Declaration of Independence: We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.

But these elitists reject God, and they try to substitute a theory of rights that are created by man. But such a theory is never reliable because a right created by one man can be changed by another man. When the foundation for rights change, the rights themselves eventually change

Rejecting our legal foundation has undermined our culture

These views have dominated our top law schools and have been advanced with considerable success by leftist advocates like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). And they have found their way into a generation of Supreme Court decisions that have dramatically changed our nation.

For more than fifty years, these efforts were not systemically opposed. The ACLU was free to argue its “progressive” views, and no one was there to systematically oppose them. Leftist law professors were unchallenged as they indoctrinated generations of students to believe that a living Constitution (one created by today’s judges) was infinitely superior to the actual written document penned by America’s Founding Fathers.

For 24 years, Alliance Defending Freedom has been fighting in the courtroom for freedom, morality, and the preservation of our constitutional self-government. Along with our Allied Attorneys and other fine like-minded organizations, we are now clearly on the field, and the ACLU no longer wins by default.

But, what about law schools—especially the most elite schools that train the vast majority of our judiciary and 100% of our Supreme Court justices?

While there are a few excellent professors with solid values who teach at these top schools, they are the rare exception. These schools don’t only teach students who come into law school with left-leaning views—they also teach the best and the brightest Christian students who already believe in the values of America’s founding.

If we do nothing, even students arising from our own community will be impacted by the elitist mentality and its desire to reshape our country in its leftist image. Doing nothing is not good for these students, for our legal system, for our nation, and for our individual freedoms.

That is why in 2000, Alliance Defending Freedom launched the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, the nation’s only lifelong leadership development program for Christian law students.

Blackstone equips students to confront the biases that have become embedded in the teaching and practice of law. It prepares students to defend constitutional protections for life, marriage and family, and our first freedom … religious freedom.

But, most importantly, Blackstone equips students to help shape the future — for their communities, the legal profession, and ultimately, our nation.

Training leaders to shape the future

Blackstone selects a highly competitive group of students who are generally in their first year of law school. The most recent class had students from most of the top ten law schools and many other fine schools. It was truly the cream of the crop.

The Blackstone Legal Fellowship provides a nine-week course of leadership development training and a hands-on internship to the best and brightest Christian law students. It’s unlike any other opportunity being offered in the world.

You can join an effort to renew America’s legal system … and the foundational principles that once made America a beacon of liberty to the world.

The students gain a thorough understanding of the Constitution, an accurate knowledge of our history, and a comprehensive understanding of the basis for religious freedom. They also receive practical career guidance from lawmakers and constitutional lawyers who respect our nation’s history, heritage, and founding principles.

As part of the nine-week course, students complete a six-week legal internship to help advance their careers. Previous students have worked at top law firms, nonprofits, and government institutions.

Blackstone Fellows are a part of a lifelong community that assists them with career advice and a community of fellowship that continues to reinforce the central values and worldview of the program.

Blackstone — impacting our legal system for freedom

So far, the Blackstone Legal Fellowship has trained more than 1,900 law students. Graduates are already moving into crucial roles in the legal system. Their distinguished accomplishments are mounting, through the blessing of God, and include:

Providing the legal firepower for the fight to protect religious freedom. At last count, 115 Blackstone alumni were serving full-time for organizations on the front lines of this fight, contributing to key legal victories, including several Supreme Court wins!

Making their influence felt in the halls of government. Several work at the Department of Justice, many for state and local governments, and still hundreds of others as law clerks for state and federal judges.

Growing influence in the debate over contemporary legal issues. Blackstone graduates have already published 740 articles in law journals and other publications, and are helping build the case for laws that support the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and religious freedom.

Building professional careers to become the leaders of tomorrow. Blackstone students are trained and equipped for positions of leadership and influence.

With time, their influence should continue to increase. A growing number of Blackstone graduates are already teaching at colleges and universities across the country. We desperately need them to be a part of every law school faculty. God has blessed these efforts tremendously, and with your help, we’ve seen amazing things happen.

Accept the Challenge: $600,000

If you care deeply about the current battles for the freedom of this nation, we hope you recognize how vital your help is to this project. Will you invest in Blackstone to ensure that we have the best and brightest who share our love for freedom, morality, and self-government in the halls of government and in the courtrooms of America?

A generous family that has been to Blackstone and seen the program and tested its results, has provided a $600,000 challenge grant in hopes of inspiring you to give to this great cause.

Your gift to the Blackstone Fellowship program will pay dividends for generations.